[The following is an excerpt from the novel Last Days of Summer]New York, July 17. Bill Terry's fourth-place New York Giants begin a two-weekroad trip that will take them to Boston, Cincinnati and Chicago. Whether theycan gain any ground on the seemingly unstoppable Dodgers and Cards dependslargely upon Carl Hubbell's arm, Charlie Banks' bat, and Jordy Stuker's glove.Skipper Terry is hoping that the injury-plagued lineup will be able torepair itself in time for the pennant race.

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Dear Hazel,Right now I am stuck in a compartment all alone on The Patriot Limited lookingout of the window at Connecticut trees in the dark, and I can't get outbecause Charlie won't let me. I'm very sad. I thought this was supposed tobe a birthday present, but as soon as we got here he turned into GeneralMacArthur or somebody. And the only thing I did was show my best friend Craigwhat a keen train this was and after he left I played a couple games of OldMaid with Stuke and Mel and Burge, even though I kept losing. But Charlieyells at me for everything. Even when I was hungry and went to get ahamburger.Could you please tell him to lay off? Just a little bit? Smokes, I'm only13. And maybe I'm also sort of scared because this is my first time away fromhome. Thanks.Love,Joey

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Dear Toots,I think you better learn how to bake cakes with such things in them as filesand saws and etc. because after I kill this kid I will be doing a long stretchin the Jug. Right now he is locked in our compartment on the train and theonly one who has the key is the porter who is not allowed to open it up foranybody but me. But that does not stop him from trying to bribe whoever hehears walking outside. Mel Ott almost said yes for $20.This road trip is only 2 hrs. old and I already feel like I just played 3double headers. I should of seen it coming before we even left thePennsylvania Station. Him and the Japanese kid were wearing the exact sameshirts and pants and shoes and socks on purpose so that if you looked at themreal fast and did not notice such things as eyes and etc. you would think theywere the same brat and get mixed up in the head, especially if you were aconducter. The railroad had to throw Craig off the train 3 times while wewere still in the station and the 3d time was because they caught the 2 ofthem in the diner eating burgers and shakes and charging it to the NY Giants.So I booted Craig out the door, put Joey in the compartment, and told him notto move until I got back. This was on account of his family on the platformwho were not finished with me yet. The mother gave me a bag of more pointycoconut things which I should of never told her I liked due to there beingenough of them to feed Massachusets and part of Road Island, and also abriskit with directions in writing about heating it up and gravy and etc.,like I would know what to do with an oven even if they gave us one which theydon't. Then it was the Aunt's turn to give a speech about Joey's teeth. Ialways thought there was only one way to do it. You put the powder on thefuckin brush and then stick it in your mouth and call it a ball game. But shehad enough instructions to build a B-17 bomber, and then finished by tellingme that if I did not keep him away from the bad element, let it be on my head.What a laugh. He is the bad element. Then we left. But when I got back tothe compartment the kid was gone. Where he was was at the other end of thesmoker with Stuke's dice and the whole team around him, rolling 7's and sayingsuch things as "Aunt Carrie needs a new girdle" and etc. By the time I gotthere he was in the middle of a joke that started with Superman flying overthe beach and seeing Wonder Woman lying there on her back naked with her legsopen and ended with Wonder Woman saying "What was that?" and the Invisible Mansaying "I don't know but my asshole sure hurts." After that I locked him up.Before you read in Winchell that the police are looking for me, remember thatyou thought this was a good idea too.I love you.Charlie

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Dear Toots,We have a question that nobody knows how to answer, even Stuke. If Photoplay had topick a picture of either Eleanor Roosevelt in a bathing suit or Betty Boop in one,who would it be? Betty Boop, right?Tell him he's wrong. First of all Mrs. Roosevelt is married to the President soshe's more famous. And second of all Betty Boop is a damned cartoon. She's noteven real. And they don't put cartoons in Photoplay.He keeps forgetting the most important part of it. Who in Hell wants to think aboutE. Roosevelt in a bathing suit leave alone see her in one?Like Betty Boop is somebody you would want to kiss either. At least if you smoochedMrs. Roosevelt you wouldn't get ink all over your mouth. Hazel, guess what? Webeat the Cubs today 5-2 and I got injured right in the middleHe didn't get injured. It was the 8th inning at Wrigley with a tie score and thebases full of Cubbies. I had D. Marantz on mine who I use to room with inSpringfield and for some reason he thinks this is suppose to make us buddies orsomething even though he must of forgotten that we hated each other. (He snoaredand always pissed on the toilet seat.) Then B. Sturgeon came up for Chic. thinkinghe was going to play The Hero by parking a haymaker in the lake, though even theCubs know he cannot cross the street without getting lost first. So what happenedwasI called him a weenie-head and he tried to kill me. Then I had brain surgery. Theysawed off the top of my skull andHe got hit in the ass by a foul ball. And it served him right on account of showingoff for some little 12 yr. old tootsie in the stands instead of doing his job.Afterwards they took our team picture and they wanted him to sit in the front row onthe ground, though he will probably not be sitting anywhere until at least Tuesdaydue to B. Sturgeon picking a bouncing curve to glim him with.I even got to hold Charlie's sax in the picture. And by the way C last night Ilearned how to play "Moonlight Serenade" on it and Charlie still can't finish "Inthe Mood".Two things. (1) Yes I can. And (2) If that was Moonlight Seranade how come thehotel called up and said they would throw us out if he ever played it again? Youknow what a fake he is. If you took even 3 of anything he says seriousLook who's talking. You know what he did? In Cincy he said that him and the teamwere going to eat spaghetti and see the Andrews Sisters but that I couldn't go C andjust because I answered one of my Bar Mitzvah questions wrong. But when I wentdownstairs and got a paper to see if there was a Bogey movie I could sneak into, Ifound out from page 18 that the Andrews Sisters were in Detroit that night. He madeit all up, even the spaghetti part. Him and Stuke were really in Mickey Witek'sroom listening to the radio and dropping things out the window on people, includingguava jelly sandwiches. Smokes, what a phony.But guess who knows his Tora inside and outside now? So ha ha. For a present, meand the team took him to see Glenn Miller tonight. Even Mister Terry went. Theyhave a new song I like called "I've Got a Gal in" someplace I never heard of but"Kalama-zoo-zoo-zoo-zoo-zoo-zoo-zoo."Stuke tried to buy a High Ball for Dorothy Walker who sang it, but by the time itgot there he changed his mind and drank it himself by telling Mister Terry it wassasparilla. (D. Walker did not sing so hot anyway.) We would not let Joey haveanything but ginger ail all night but somehow by 11:00 in the P.M. he was walkingsideways and saying "excuse me" to such things as chairs and etc. So Stuke followedhim around and found out that what he did was wait until people would get up fromtheir table to dance and then snitch their glass before they even made it to thefloor.Old ladies were the best. They don't walk real fast, so you have more getaway time.And they all drink Slow Gin Fizzes.So after he got good and soaked and danced the jitter bug with Dorothy Walker 3times (which you should of seen, due to his head not even coming up to her you knowwhats), he had a long talk with Mister Terry saying that if Stuke gets drafted heshould put Burge at 1st and move Witek to 2d and then bring Demaree in from Center.We were all waiting for Mister Terry to say "Who gave you permission to think?" likehe always does, but instead he got some paper and wrote it all down. I don't getit. If I tried something like that, he would chop my head off.Maybe if you listened to him instead ofWe can finish this when we come home. I just looked at the clock and saw what timeit is. Say goodnight Joey.Goodnight Joey.We love you.Charlie